Leila Marques, a name familiar to many in Paralympic circles, is aiming for a major role. The former Portuguese Paralympic swimmer is now campaigning to become the First Vice-President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Elections are set for September 27. Marques believes it is “the moment to contribute to the movement internationally.”
Marques explained her decision to the Lusa news agency. She feels it is “time to contribute to the movement internationally, considering the voice I’ve had and the roles I’ve been playing.” She currently serves as the Vice-President of the Portuguese Paralympic Committee (CPP). Her candidacy comes after the IPC released its list of hopefuls.
At 44, the doctor sees her bid for the IPC’s top vice-presidency as “a big challenge.” She is honored that the CPP chose to put her name forward. “It’s a big challenge,” she stated. “I feel I have been contributing to the movement that made me grow as a person, as an athlete and health professional, and as a leader.” Her main goal is to “contribute to the international growth of the Paralympic movement in the future.”
Marques knows the Paralympic Games well. She competed as a swimmer in Atlanta ’96, Sydney ’00, Athens ’04, and Beijing ’08. This time, her competition for the First Vice-President role includes Canada’s Chelsey Gotell and China’s Ming-Chu Um. Marques describes them as “two strong opponents who have been contributing to the Paralympic movement.”
The elections for First and Second Vice-Presidents are separate. Four male candidates are running for the Second Vice-President position. This is due to new gender equality rules approved last June. The IPC, founded in 1989, has its headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The vice-presidency elections are also independent of the presidential race.
For the presidency, two candidates are in the running. Andrew Parsons, the current leader from Brazil, is completing his second term. The other candidate is Dong Hyun Bae from South Korea. Marques is ready to work with either leader if she is elected. “The candidates for leadership are the current president, who has been in office for eight years, and another candidate who is from South Korea, whom I don’t know as closely, but I am naturally open to working with whoever is elected,” she assured. In 2022, the Portuguese government appointed her to lead a working group for gender equality in sport.
Marques also led the Portuguese Sports Federation for the Disabled (FPDD) before the CPP was even created. She points to several key challenges for the IPC’s new leadership. These include making sports more inclusive for people with disabilities. Building strong partnerships with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also vital. Other priorities are improving sports classification and promoting gender equality.
She stressed that the IPC’s role goes beyond top-level performance. “Beyond its high-performance aspect, which is very important, it is also the fundamental role of the IPC to help create more comprehensive and inclusive societies through sport.” Marques also believes the IPC must support nations “with few resources.” This will help create “a more inclusive movement where everyone can grow and not just the big powers.”
Marques served as the head of the Portuguese Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Games. She sees her candidacy as a boost for the CPP on the international stage. The CPP oversees Paralympic sport in Portugal. She feels the timing for her candidacy is just right. “The CPP has been asserting itself over recent years,” she said. “As a member of the executive committee in the third term, along with the president and other colleagues, we understood, given the position Portugal has been taking with other IPC members and international federations, that it would be the ideal time to position ourselves in a leadership role internationally.”
Should she not win the First Vice-President role, Marques has a backup plan. She will run for one of the general board member positions. These elections will take place on the same day, September 27, at the IPC General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea.